Sex Differences in the Effects of a Kappa Opioid Receptor Antagonist in the Forced Swim Test.

ABSTRACT: There is growing evidence that kappa opioid receptor (KOR) antagonists could be a useful class of therapeutics for treating depression and anxiety. However, the overwhelming majority of preclinical investigations examining the behavioral effects of KOR antagonists have been in male rodents. Here, we examined the effects of the long-acting KOR antagonist nor-binaltophimine (norBNI) on immobility in the forced swim test in males and females of two different rodent species (C57Bl/6J and California mice). Consistent with previous reports, norBNI (10 mg/kg) decreased immobility in the forced swim test for male C57Bl/6J and California mice. Surprisingly, dose-response studies in female C57Bl/6J and California mice showed that norBNI did not reduce immobility. Pharmacokinetic analyses showed that

SUBMITTER: Laman-Maharg A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5817081 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature